Wind Mitigation

After seven major hurricanes during the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons damaged much of Florida’s properties, insurance companies rated all buildings at maximum risk unless proven otherwise. Since October of 2006, the only way to prove your building is not a major risk is to have a mitigation inspection performed showing what steps have been taken to reduce damages from a storm. This inspection must be performed by a specially licensed certified contractor. Here are the 7 areas to be inspected:

1. Building Code: When the building was originally constructed it had to conform to the building code at that time. For the most generous deductions, the building must be constructed after March 1, 2002.
2. Roof Covering: Roof applications each have their own rating assembly number based on product and performance wind testing. Recently installed metal roofs have the greatest deductions for this category, but newly installed roofs all fair well.
3. Roof Deck Attachment: Plywood is the standard roof decking material. Deductions vary based on the type and number of fasteners used. The optimal is an 8D ring shank nail fastened every 6 inches on center. See the next section Deck Re-Fastening below for more information.
4. Roof to Wall Attachment: A critical point of failure during high wind events is where the roof trusses attach to the wall. This “roof to wall connection area” is a large focus of insurance re-inspectors. There have been many changes in this section of the form recently. The type of clip/strap, how it was installed, the number of fasteners, and where the fasteners were installed are all important. Often times, hurricane clips were installed but were not fastened correctly. During a new roof installation this simple fix could net hundreds of dollars in annual savings. Ask Kelly Roofing about how we can help ensure you are getting the maximum discount.
5. Roof Geometry: If you have a hip roof you will get the maximum discount. Any perimeter with more than 10% not being of hip construction will fall into the “other” category and lose the discount. This is part of the building’s original design, which leaves no remedy to receive the discount.
6. Secondary Water Resistance Barrier (SWR): There are two ways to achieve maximum discount here; a peel and stick underlayment installed directly to the roof’s decking or an expensive adhesive installed under the roof’s decking. Kelly Roofing installs Peel-&-Stick underlayments as part of our standard reroofing system. See the Water Barrier SWB below for more information.
7. Opening Protection: ALL openings including windows, doors, garage doors, and skylights must be impact rated or have hurricane shutter protection available. This is the biggest discount available. Most people forget about skylights. Here is where Kelly Roofing comes in. All of the skylights we install are impact rated for the maximum insurance discount and protection. See our Skylights page for more information.

The Wind Mitigation Form is an inspection document listing 7 major areas of concern and is what Mitigation Inspectors use to certify the building. It is universally accepted by all insurance carriers. The report has been revised multiple times with the latest version released on January 1st, 2012. This new form is used by insurance company inspectors.

Hardening is a term used to describe upgrades made to a building to make it more resistant to storm-related effects and damages. Examples include:

• Impact glass or hurricane shutters
• Straps or clips added at the roof to wall connection area to prevent the roof structure from blowing off
• A building constructed with a hip sloped roof
• Roofs installed with extra fasteners to prevent wind blow-off
• A Secondary Water Barrier installed under the roof system in the event the roofing materials are damaged
• Re-nailing the roof decking to increase their wind uplift

Florida weather is never predictable – hurricanes, tropical storms, high winds – you never know what the weather will bring or how it may impact your roof. The high winds often associated with a hurricane or tropical storm produce gusts up to 80, 100, or even 150 mph. The roof and openings of your building (windows, skylights, shutters, etc.) can experience serious, costly damage. There are several ways to protect your investment and possibly save some money in the process! Here are some ways adding wind mitigation to your roof can save you money.

The mitigation savings are deducted from the wind portion of your insurance policy, which makes up more than ½ of your yearly premium costs. Most customers can cut their annual insurance bill in half by making a few improvements to help “harden” their building. We suggest going online to Florida’s insurance saving calculator for what these savings would look like on your own building.

Inspectors look for the “weakest” point. If 99% of the building is constructed one way, but they missed a single fastener, the entire building will be downgraded and you will have to pay more.

Everything must be documented. Insurance companies will not accept affidavits anymore. Only Certified Mitigation Inspections with photographs and permit records are accepted.

Your old mitigation inspection is no longer valid. You will need a new one on the current form for the maximum discount. Insurance companies will say your old form is accepted to avoid having to give you the maximum discount.

Out of the 7 main areas of inspection, Kelly Roofing can help with 5 of them. Most of the items will be upgraded as part of the standard roof replacement process and won’t involve extra costs. The remaining two areas are related to when and how the building itself was constructed.

After the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons, the Florida Building Code was changed to help enhance deck fastening and reduce the amount of damage caused by deck failures. It is now required to refasten all wood roof decks when replacing the roof.

Note: Cut nails and staples carry no weight with the Florida Building Code. In other words, it doesn’t matter how many staples or nails are currently holding down your roof decking, the entire roof will need to be completely refastened as if no fasteners are there.

What is 8-6-6?

Let’s break down the numbers.

8-12-12 Minimum Code

8-6-6 Code Plus

8-4-4 Code Plus/Highest Wind Protection

1. 8 = The first number describes the type of nail used to fasten the deck. In this case, 8D nails. (Good roofers will use ring-shank nails)
2. -6- = The middle number describes the fastening pattern at the roof’s perimeter. Roof perimeter is defined as a nine feet zone around the entire perimeter of the roof. This example describes a 6″ fastening pattern.
3. -6 = The last number describes the fastening pattern in the roof’s center, inside the perimeter enhancement zone. In this case, the roof’s center is being fastened six inches on the center, which is code plus. 12″ on center would be minimum code.

Avoid a buckled, bumpy – looking roof and reduce blow-off with quality roof deck protection. Superior quality roof deck protection can protect and beautify at the same time!

Kelly Roofing Recommendation

Kelly Roofing’s recommendation is to use the Fully Adhered, Sealed Fasteners system.

1. #30lb Felt Paper, Nailed was outlawed at one time and is now allowed again due to economic reasons. Insurance companies have been known to drop customers who do not have SWB, a Secondary Water Barrier. #30lb is not considered an SWB.
2. Sealed Seams, #30lb. Felt Paper, Nailed was minimum code for two years until economic conditions caused code bodies to revert back to just #30lb, nailed. Although some insurance companies recognize this as an SWB, most do not or give smaller reductions because it is only partial coverage.
3. #30lb felt paper, nailed and a fully adhered underlayment passes code, but does not provide any insurance discounts since the plywood is not “sealed”. It’s added expense with little benefit.
4. Fully Adhered, Sealed Fasteners provides the maximum insurance discount for providing an SWB. In high wind events, it actually helps to hold the entire deck together to prevent water intrusion and deck failure. The most common question is, “If the material is adhered directly to the roof deck, what happens when I need to replace my roof again in the future?” The answer is once an SWB is installed, it never needs to be replaced and will continue to perform for the life of the building. If a leak does develop and decking materials need replacement, each individual plywood sheet is cut out and replaced, just as they are now.